tearaway

1 of 2

noun

tear·​away ˈter-ə-ˌwā How to pronounce tearaway (audio)
British
: a rebellious and unruly or reckless young person

tear away

2 of 2

verb

tore away; torn away; tearing away; tears away

transitive verb

: to remove (someone, such as oneself) reluctantly

Examples of tearaway in a Sentence

Noun a gang of teenage tearaways
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Timbers makes sure there’s almost always something to catch your eye; the actors always seem to be entering the dance floor suddenly and from unexpected angles, wearing costumes by Clint Ramos that always seem to come with show-stopping tearaway reveals. Vulture, 20 July 2023 As for the origin of the tearaway pants, also used by NBA players to instantly bypass shoes for pants removal, that's not clear. Bryan Alexander, USA TODAY, 22 Nov. 2022 Special Features: Some features such as zip pockets, linings (compression or not), perforated details, drawstring gadgets, and tearaway tags are useful. Isaiah Freeman-Schub, Robb Report, 31 Mar. 2023 The troupe’s costumer, Denise (Juliette Lewis), smooths out the act’s kinks by supplying tearaway pants. Inkoo Kang, The New Yorker, 12 Dec. 2022 In the series, the novel tearaway pants concept for the strippers is the brainchild of designer and superfan Denise (Juliette Lewis). Bryan Alexander, USA TODAY, 22 Nov. 2022 Eve does the saddest, ugliest little tearaway of her otherwise gorgeous Matrix drag look, but Suki takes way too long to take off her own coat and get on the floor and give choreo. Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 6 Nov. 2021 The reveals in this particular lip sync are a wash — neither tearaway adds or subtracts from either queen’s overall performance. Paul McCallion, Vulture, 23 Apr. 2021 The tearaway snap front top has ‘CAVS’ logo sewn on left breast. Marc Bona, cleveland, 29 Nov. 2020
Verb
In the wake of the blowout, headrests in two seats adjacent to the opening were torn away. Noah Goldberg, Los Angeles Times, 11 Jan. 2024 With yesterday’s incident, according to Reuters, passenger photos suggest the section of fuselage torn away is sometimes used for an optional rear door—usually by budget airlines that require more evacuation paths due to having more seats. Steve Mollman, Fortune, 6 Jan. 2024 Shortly after Chaudhry delivered this line, Majors appeared to cry and started dabbing tears away with a tissue. Vulture, 14 Dec. 2023 The father explained that scratches on the girl had been caused by him trying to rub her tears away. Jake Allen, The Indianapolis Star, 10 Aug. 2023 Spacey, 64, wiped tears away after the jury verdict was delivered at London’s Southwark Crown Court. Henry Austin, NBC News, 26 July 2023 Video footage showed rescuers sifting through rubble, wreckage of a car and an apartment building with balconies torn away from the wall. Reuters, NBC News, 8 Aug. 2023 Jenna later wiped tears away while watching a clip of her dad and his onscreen father (Michael Madsen). Stephanie Wenger, Peoplemag, 24 July 2023 The adult chimp was born into captivity at a lab specializing in HIV and hepatitis research and was torn away from her mother shortly after birth. Kimberlee Speakman, Peoplemag, 28 June 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'tearaway.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1950, in the meaning defined above

Verb

circa 1699, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of tearaway was circa 1699

Dictionary Entries Near tearaway

Cite this Entry

“Tearaway.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tearaway. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

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